The Times of Napoleon Grief
by IndigoStarshine
Summary: The experiences of Napoleon Grief, Dr Hugo Grief's oldest clone. Rated T just in case.
1. First Chapter

_Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider or anything associated but I wish I did. I guess I own Napoleon and other original characters to some degree._

Note: This is my first and maybe only fan fiction, so please be kind. I really wanted to try something a bit different. _Point Blanc_ and _Scorpia Rising _are (for some reason) my favourite book in the series. If you can find typos please report them to me.

The woman kneeled on the ground in front of Napoleon, snivelling as he held the shot gun to her forehead. Being the oldest, he was the first one who was called upon to shot the intruder. His father expected it to be done.

"Shot her, Napoleon - in the way that you've been shown." Dr Grief encouraged him.

Napoleon loaded the gun and placed his finger on the trigger. She could have been a spy sent to pry on the business of Dr Grief or simply a lost skier. She had to be killed regardless of where she came from.

The woman broke out in tears, "Si prega di avere pietà, lasciami vivere per i miei figli!"

Napoleon had no idea what she had said, but it was obviously a plea for mercy. Dr Grief would obviously not show her any mercy and Napoleon obviously wasn't supposed to either.

Dr Grief's encouraging voice disappeared and was replaced with a growl, "Do it, Napoleon. You're eleven years old and truly ready to do this."

He looked at woman watching him; she was middle aged, had dark hair in a ponytail and wore a grey jacket as well as a blue beanie. The part he remembered most vividly were her eyes, they were dark and filled with so much anguish, shock and despair. Something deep within him said 'no'. He didn't know why, but he couldn't do it. He just couldn't. He lowered his gun and looked down. He couldn't bear to see the look on his father's face.

"No? What is wrong with you, Napoleon?"

Napoleon felt like such a failure. He didn't cry though - they were always beaten when they cried - so he just stood there watching the floor, looking like an idiot.

"Julius!" Dr Grief had called in his youngest brother.

Julius came rushing in, it turned out that Julius had snuck out of bed to watch what was happening. He was identical to Napoleon, only younger by two years. His brother looked at the woman and would see an opportunity to please their father. He would also enjoy causing the woman pain. Napoleon decided to run away and hide somewhere within the castle, knowing that he would be punished later. He and his brothers were supposed to be perfectly identical in every way, from the way they ate to the way they spoke. Napoleon didn't understand why he felt like he was different.


	2. Second Chapter

Napoleon Grief lay on his bed, listening to music on his stereo. No, he was Felix Johnson now and he had to think of himself as Felix Johnson unless he wanted to lose the stolen identity he had managed to hold for two years.

The room around him was typically filled with the best of everything – not that Felix had ever appreciated it. Felix Johnson was the son of Tiffany and Charles Johnson. Tiffany Johnson was a successful investor and political campaigner. Charles Johnson owned a large percentage of computer and internet shares. Both had no time for their children. He had read the file that his father had given him extensively and memorised the relationships Felix had with his parents and other relatives. He had also practised and adopted all Felix's more charming mannerisms – not that there were many of them.

The music he was listening to was heavy metal and originally belonged to the real Felix Johnson. He initially started listening to it as a way to convince people he really was Felix Johnson, but he quickly found himself enjoying it. Napoleon liked the intensity of the music. He knew his father would disapprove - he loathed any form of anti-authoritarianism and all music that was not Classical.

Knock, knock, knock!

Napoleon turned off the music and opened up the door to see who it was this time.

It was Alannah Johnson, Felix's nine year old sister. For a rich girl she didn't really care about her appearance; her light brown hair was always untidy and she didn't mind wearing cheap clothes. She was not a particularly pretty girl, but she did have beautiful hazel eyes.

"FF, can you help me with my homework? It's math."

"In ten minutes Alannah, I just have to put on more appropriate clothes. I'll meet you in the garden courtyard."

Nobody but he and Alannah knew that FF stood for Fake Felix. He had struck a deal with the younger girl, she would not tell on him as long as he helped her and was nice to her. He might have been able to fool Felix's distant parents, but he couldn't fool people who had known Felix well such as his sister, maids and nannies. The truth was that they didn't care, all they knew was that the boy that returned from Point Blanc academy was not the same sadistic monster of a spoilt brat they once knew.

Napoleon enjoyed the nicer weather of California while walking towards the garden courtyard, it was so much better than the harsh cold of the Swiss Alps. The Johnsons had the biggest three story mansion in Silicon Valley; they had more than enough land for horses, a pool and vineyards. When he first came here he imagined Felix's family being dead and of having the Johnson family assets for himself. It was how Dr Grief had explained it to him, as an encouragement carrot for the surgery and strict practise. Now he thought of it as a pretty home belonging to him and Alannah as well as Felix's parents.

Alannah was waiting for him on the courtyard swing, her homework on the table in the nearby gazebo. She expected him to give her a swing for a while, like her usually did. He personally didn't mind the girl, even though she could be bratty and annoying sometimes – but he saw no reason to mean to her. Besides she was the only little girl he had ever known, he supposed they were all bratty and annoying.

"Now what do you need help with?"

"I need you to explain the difference between squared and square root again and how to do them."

"Ok, squared and square root are opposites like division and multiplication are…"

It was a bit taxing having to explain things to Alannah, she wasn't dim-witted (she was actually rather clever for her age) but it was work he found really simple and he always had to restrain himself. When he was her age, his father and Mrs Stellenbosch use to beat him if he had failed to get something right – if it was wasn't a part of his cover to be really nice, he would have probably done the same to her. Alannah was fragile in nature like delicate glass; one wrong tap would cause her to tell on him to her parents. He had to be careful with her. He felt the urge to harm her die and heighten at different times, but overall it was slowly dying.

After ten minutes of tutoring, Alannah's hazel eyes widened with understanding – "Oh, I get it now, thank you FF."

"That's ok, but if you need help with something else you'll have to wait until tomorrow because I have a physics assignment to do and it's due tomorrow."

"Ok."

Napoleon began to turn away. He knew not to spend too much time with Alannah because she would soon begin to ask questions again, even though she knew he would not answer. She was always curious about where he came from and why. It was almost like she thought he was an alien from a different planet.

"And FF…" Alannah began, she looked hesitant.

"Yes," he turned to look at her.

"You're a good big brother, FF. You've become less creepy than you use to be. I always wanted a brother who was nice to me."

Napoleon didn't know what to say, so he just smiled and muttered a thank you. He supposed he was a good big brother. As far as she cared, FF was her brother not Felix. The boy who had left two years ago was a horrible bully who would scream, hit and throw her against walls; her new brother might be strange, but proven to be a much better person - at least on the outside.


	3. Third Chapter

Napoleon held his breathe as Dr Grief carefully removed the bandages from his face. He relished the removal of the annoyingly itchy bandages and was glad that he was no longer feeling pain. He had been in bed watching the obnoxious Felix Johnson and reading files while recovering.

"How do I look?" He asked his father.

His father's face was devoid of emotion, "Baxter did a perfect job - you look exactly like Felix Johnson."

Dr Grief held up a mirror for Napoleon to see, he did look like Felix Johnson – he had the same brown hair, blue eyes and long hooked nose. He had expected himself to feel triumph, but instead he felt a nagging dread. However, he knew his father would expect him to feel pleased with the results, so he forced a half-smile.

Napoleon also forced himself to speak, "At least the man does something right."

"I agree. I expect you to practise his mannerisms properly this afternoon," Dr Grief continued bluntly, "I also expect you to study the mathematics I have left you. Remember, you are the first clone to be created – there must be no room for mistakes. If you fail, you could bring failure for the others."

Napoleon felt a familiar sickness come over him; it was a kind of illness that made him feel nauseous, shaky and weak.

Dr Grief had suspected that something wasn't right with him, his red glasses honed on Napoleon like headlights.

"Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes – Everything is fine."

Dr Grief then walked away, leaving Napoleon to feel weak at the knees. He knew Dr Grief worried about each of his clones at times, but Napoleon felt that Dr Grief worried about him more than the others.

When he recalled this he began to think of something Alannah told him: 'It's ok to feel anxious sometimes, FF.'

He didn't believe in her simple wisdom – anxiety was a form of weakness and failure.


	4. Fourth Chapter

'_And coming back to sports news – in gridiron, Denver has managed to beat Cleveland 6 to 2. Redland quarterback Martin Walker has recovered from his current injuries - '_

Napoleon turned off the radio; it was distracting his concentration on the road. He had been taught to drive various vehicles by his father and Mrs Stellenbosch at a young age – he had no problem passing a driving test at all. The black Volvo he was driving was a favourite of Charles Johnson's and the man was very protective of it, but he was away at the moment so Napoleon could get away with drive it without getting into trouble.

"Felix, do you understand what gridiron is about? It just looks like a bunch of guys in armour smashing into each other while trying to kick a ball past two poles." Nicole asked him. She was Australian and was not particularly interested in the sport either.

Napoleon couldn't help but smile, "That's pretty much what it is. Coach wanted me on the team, but I told him I wasn't interested."

Nicole had been his girlfriend for over five months. She had wild dark hair and striking blue eyes. She had only moved to Silicon Valley a year ago after her father received a promotion in Microsoft or wherever he worked. She found it difficult to fit in with the rich brats at their school who would mimic her accent and like him, only had a few friends. Napoleon genuinely liked her and shared many interests with her; he just had to remember to be calm around her and not force her to do anything she didn't want to do. She was the only girl he met who was willing to give him a chance, so he couldn't afford to stuff it up.

"Did Tyler Buchannan manage to actually get away with calling Mr Gonzalez a 'fake asshole' and throwing a pencil at him in Spanish class?"

"Um, no he didn't, he received a week long suspension."

"I can't understand why you are friends with him. He always seems so cynical and sarcastic."

"He's a good gamer. Besides, I've always thought of him as a Holden Caulfield kind of guy."

Nicole was an avid reader and understood the reference, "Ha!"

She then looked at the sky. The night was perfectly clear and filled with stars. She seemed to be in a tranquil mood.

"Do you think there is life on other planets?" Napoleon asked her, just to keep conversation.

"Definitely, but whether they abduct people and perform experiments on them - no."

"My father told me when I was young that if they had come here they would have already colonised our planet and kill us all off by now."

"Oh, that's nice. Did he really say that?"

"Absolutely. Dad's a big fan of the colonial era."

Nicole gave him an amused but questioning smile, it was comforting. Napoleon knew that ultimately she didn't care whether he was Felix Johnson or Napoleon Grief. As long as she enjoyed his company he was good enough for her.

They continued to talk while he drove her home; he could feel like somebody was watching them but decided to ignore it. He quietly dropped Nicole off at the front gate of her house. She gave him a kiss before leaving, he was not accustomed to physical affection but he enjoyed it all the same.

"See you at school on Monday."

"Yeah, see you later."

He watched Nicole sneak over the front gate of her father's property. It was late and the front gate was locked, so she had to climb up a tree to get in. They both had to be careful of her father - he was a short tempered and controlling man. He saw Napoleon as a creep who was unworthy of his daughter. A bullet to the man's head would solve everything.

He then continued down the back path, for a while there was nothing but moonlit silhouettes of objects and the road lit up by the Volvo's headlights. Then suddenly, there were two headlights in the horizon coming in his direction. They were going to block his path. He looked in the mirror and saw more cars behind – he could see that some had sirens and flashing lights. He was being caught – probably for unauthorised driving of a vehicle, but why so many cars? It was much more than that.

He put his foot down on the accelerator and went off the track. He didn't want to be caught so easily, but there were so many of them – there was no way Napoleon could avoid them forever.


	5. Fifth Chapter

"Come on Mussolini, you can do it!" Napoleon growled, "You just have to shuffle one leg after another. We have to do it _exactly_ like Dad showed us."

Napoleon and Mussolini had snuck out of their room in order to practise ice skating. There was going to be an ice skating contest tomorrow and Mussolini didn't want to be denied for three days because he lost for the second time in a row. They decided to go to the furthest frozen puddle from Dr Grief's and Mrs Stellenbosch's private quarters because neither of them wanted the prospect of being caught. They were both eight years old and did not fully realise how dangerous it could be. Both thought that they were lucky to have a clear night and full moon to light up their way.

"I just can't do it," Mussolini lamented, "I just can't."

"Yes you can, remember that we are all just like Dad and we should be able to do it."

Napoleon spent a lot of time looking after Mussolini, making sure that Mussolini could do everything right. Mussolini was Dr Grief's third clone and only younger than Napoleon by seven weeks, but he often fell behind with physical skills. Dr Grief contributed this to birth complications but that didn't give Mussolini any special consideration, in fact, it made him push Mussolini harder than the others. Mussolini often bugged Napoleon into helping him, Napoleon often initially refused to do it but Mussolini was more talented in the art of blackmail (of threatening to tell secrets). It didn't matter; Napoleon was use to instructing the younger clones to do things.

Despite this Napoleon felt closer to Mussolini than to the others. When he was younger he attributed it to being forced to having sharing a room together. As he grew older, he realised that Mussolini was more like a friend because when they spent time alone together he behaved slightly differently to what Dr Grief expected of them. The other clones usually always did exactly as Dr Grief and Mrs Stellenbosch instructed them to behave. It made Mussolini more interested than anything else. Mussolini, like him, didn't feel like a perfect clone.

Mussolini was starting to actually do it right, not that it deserved praise. For a while they were actually having fun ice skating together.

"Napoleon," Mussolini asked idly looking at the stars, "Do you think that there is life out there in the galaxy?"

A couple of days ago Dr Grief explained the solar system and the outer space. Dr Grief had also told them of the prospect of there being life on other planets. Dr Grief stated that if alien beings had discovered Earth already than they would have colonised it quickly.

"It is definitely probable for life to exist on other planets," Napoleon took care to repeat his father's words with exact precision, "But there is no evidence that they have visited Earth or are intelligent. If they had they would have colonised Earth already."

"Mrs Stellenbosch thinks that's all hokum. She doesn't think that there is any life out there."

The two boys continued to skate in silence. They didn't know what else to say about that. They didn't know anything else but the ideas given to them by Dr Grief and Mrs Stellenbosch. Neither of them could imagine anything because they hadn't experienced anything outside of Point Blanc in the course of their short lives.

"Napoleon – I don't think the ice is steady."

"It will be fine."

"No, Napoleon it won't!"

Napoleon turned around and saw that Mussolini was standing there petrified, his skates wobbled on the ice awkwardly and his legs bent together. Surely enough there were cracks in the ice underneath Mussolini's feet. Napoleon knew that this would end badly. It would be entirely his fault because it was his idea to come here in the first place. He had no idea what to do, but quickly remembered something Dr Grief had told them.

"Just hold on! I'll grab a twig or something. Just stand still."

In the moonlight, Napoleon could see the look on Mussolini's face. It was the most terrified expression that Napoleon had ever seen. He and Mussolini had the same face, that expression could have easily been his. Napoleon had to save his brother – there was no other option.

Napoleon searched for something that would help save Mussolini. There was a large twig near the edge of the skating rink; he quickly skated over to grab it.

_Crack!_

"Napoleon, help!"

Mussolini began to scream and shout when the ice eventually cracked and he plunged into cold water. Quickly, Napoleon stuck out the twig in front of Mussolini. When he managed to take hold, Napoleon dragged him in.

Napoleon dragged Mussolini back to the fireplace in the main room, hoping that he would become warm again. It was hard and by that time Mussolini was unconscious and turning blue. Mussolini was barely breathing and Napoleon feared the prospect of nearly killing Mussolini. Not because he would be punished by Dr Grief or Mrs Stellenbosch, but because he hurt Mussolini – who was his best friend, he would know what to do without him.

It was Mrs Stellenbosch who found them. She was wearing an ugly pink night robe that looked even more hideous on her.

"Napoleon! What have you done to him?"

Napoleon was reluctant to answer, but eventually words came out – "We were practicing for tomorrow, Mrs Stellenbosch. It was an accident. I'm sorry."

Both he and Mussolini spend the next couple of days in bed. Mussolini was ill as a result of hypothermia. Napoleon had received more beatings that he had received before in his life. Napoleon could barely move or see out of his black eyes. His father was truly disappointed in him and for that he felt truly ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Napoleon." Mussolini stammered three days later.

Napoleon couldn't respond, but he was glad that at least Mussolini was alive. Napoleon wouldn't know what to do without him. 


	6. Sixth Chapter

Dr Boissevain sat at his desk gleaming at Napoleon through his rectangular glasses as if he were an interesting specimen. The man's overall exterior and mannerisms reminded Napoleon of a mantis wearing a grey suit, but he supposed that appearing approachable wasn't a part of Dr Boissevain's job as a psychiatrist at the maximum security juvenile prison they were keeping him. He really didn't care if his subjects liked him. He wasn't there to be their friend.

"Your situation is unique and because of that there are only a few people who have been given clearance to study the cases of you and your brothers. We've done some more file investigation and it is understood that you are the oldest of Dr Grief's clones but also the one that he had the most concerns about. Aren't you, Napoleon?"

Napoleon didn't want to answer. His father was dead and they had been caught. The plans were ruined, but he didn't feel any bitterness. Some part of him knew that it wouldn't have worked all along. Besides, he could barely feel anything with the medications he was forced to take.

They had almost gotten away with it if it wasn't for MI6 – they had sent a boy spy to infiltrate the academy. Napoleon would never be allowed to meet the English boy, but constantly wondered who he was and how it was done.

Dr Boissevain still wasn't going to take silence for an answer. Napoleon had been forced to spend two hours a day in the man's small office for over five months and rarely bothered to talk. The room was filled with smiley faces and motivational posters, all of which had a negative effect on Napoleon. It was also stuffy and smelt like urine and stale air conditioning – he wasn't allowed to open the windows.

The whole place smelt like that actually. Napoleon was accustomed to being treated like a prince, so the place was a sort of hell in comparison. None of the other inmates seemed to care as much; they generally came from impoverished backgrounds – usually the institution was their home. They had no idea why a quiet kid called Napoleon, who spent his time reading or working on assigned school work, was here. The story that he was involved in a car chase in a stolen black Volvo seemed to make him slightly more popular.

He, like most of the other detainees had made plans to break out, but the place was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by desert. Besides where would he go even if he managed to break free? He was forbidden to have any contact with Johnsons or anyone else he knew as Felix Johnson. His brothers were held in different institutions around the world and he wasn't allowed to contact them either. Even then, the only one he really wanted to contact was Mussolini.

"We need to talk about the Johnsons. You might know that most of the boys imprisoned by your _father_ were returned to their families, but this was not the case with the Johnsons. Their son contracted pneumonia and died without medical treatment within three months of his captivity. They are so upset and angry that something so devastating could happen to them that they are threatening to take their story public unless we do something for them."

"-What would that be?" for the first time Napoleon was interested in something Dr Boissevain had to say.

"They want to have your surgical alterations removed and are even willing to pay for it themselves. It will be difficult but it can be done. They have stated that they don't want you to look like their son. You will go back to looking like the natural you. Not that you were ever natural in the first place, cloning is unnatural."

Napoleon actually felt happy at the prospect of this, he would not have to pretend to be someone else anymore. He would have his own face back.

"There are also other things that we need to talk about. I received a report from Alannah Johnson's psychologist. It is a very interesting report, she doesn't miss her real brother at all but she does miss an 'FF'. Apparently she knew that you were not her brother all along. Whether forced or not, you are capable of showing kindness. You have brought a little happiness into the girl's lonely life by helping her. That is something your brothers have not done to anyone."

Napoleon thought about this and he realised that he did genuinely feel sorry for the girl. The girl found it hard to make friends and valued that fact that at least one person was willing to spend some time with her to her or at least talk to her without expecting her parent's payment. He hoped her neglectful parents would decide to spend more attention on their surviving child. She and Nicole were the only people he thought about daily in prison – I guess that meant that he missed them.

"Then what will happen to me? How long are you really going to keep me detained?"

Dr Boissevain glared up at him, "Well, that is a good question. That is up to you. If you continue to display uncooperative behaviour you will stay in the prison system. If you are good, you will be heavily psychologically screened and then if you pass, you be allowed to be released. We have to do extensive screening on you due to the reported state of your brothers – there could be more dangerous things to you than we could have imagined."

Napoleon cringed, but suppressed his resentment.

"I will agree to co-operate," he said and genuinely meant it, "If it means that I will be free."

"That is nice to know."

Dr Boissevain had worked with delinquent, wayward and other troublesome youth for a long time and obviously knew that actions were stronger than words.


	7. Seventh Chapter

Napoleon held his breath as the doctor removed the bandages from his face. He was anxious to see the result of the operations.

"There you go," said the doctor, obviously pleased with her own work, "All original surgery undone."

She was unusually friendly to Napoleon; he was sure that it was because she knew his history and felt sorry for him. The woman reminded him of an opposite of Mrs Stellenbosch - small, thin and frail with dark hair and eyes. She possessed all the magic and grace of a naturally kind soul.

She held up a mirror for him to see. The mirror displayed a boy with very fair hair and light blue eyes. He really was a younger version of Dr Grief, as he should be. He wasn't as handsome as Felix Johnson but that wasn't missed. Napoleon's reflection smiled back at him, it was a genuine smile.

He was pleased with the surgery, so he stated - "Thank you, Dr Levy-Croft."

"That is excellent. I'm glad you're pleased with the results. I will be checking up on you later, after Nurses Fiona and Harry tonight."

"Okay."

He lay in a hospital ward all by himself and was only occasionally seen to by nurses and doctors – there were no guards or people from the prison to check up on him. He didn't know whether they had finally set him free or transfer him to another prison. It would be easy for him to run away from the hospital and never be seen again. Right now that didn't matter to him.

He gazed out of his twentieth floor window – it was busy at night in Los Angeles. The bright lights of the city were beautiful but they made him feel small. It reminded him that his life had no purpose now that Dr Grief and the plans he had were gone. He was a penniless nobody in the vast world. He no longer had any commitment to stay in the United States now that he had no shares to the Johnsons' inheritance - Maybe he would travel the world and live in a different country. He knew he should go to university and study something that interested him. There was always the possibility that he could reconnect with his brothers. Maybe he would find someone as nice as Nicole and live happily ever after in the suburbs with kids.

For the first time in his life Napoleon felt that the future was uncertain, but of course that was because for the first time he would chose for himself.


	8. New Chapter 8

_Over thirty years later…_

It was a miserably cold day which made Napoleon doubt that Alannah Johnson and Dr Alex Rider would arrive to meet him in the small, unpopular café that he had suggested.

Alannah arrived first, he recognised her almost immediately. She looked a lot like he imagined she would, with her mousy brown curls and bespectacled green eyes it was easy to remember her nine year old self. She was wearing layers of clothes and a beautiful orange scarf but it was easy to see that she had become a business tycoon like her parents before her. Alannah had developed a cold, impersonal and lonely demeanour. It saddened him as he had hoped things would have been different for her.

He was surprised that she wanted to see him again. It was a much unexpected phone call that lasted only a few minutes – he had no idea of how she managed to discover his current identity. Their meeting had to be very secret as he was still legally forbidden to have any kind of contact with the Johnson family. However, it had been over thirty years since he was fully released into society and since he had not caused any problems, it was understandable that the authorities had long ago lost interest in him.

She told him that meeting him would give her more closure. Alannah wanted to know what really happened all those years ago and what eventually happened to him. When he told her that he doubted she would believe the truth, she said he could tell her anyway.

As expected, she didn't recognise him. It had been a long time since he resembled her brother in any way shape or form. He went over to greet her.

"Hello," he said, "Are you Alannah?"

The lady smiled at him, he remembered Alannah's cute smiles, "Yes, you must be Fake Felix."

"I am," he said and shook her hand, "It's good to see you."

"Likewise. Should we sit or are we still waiting for the other man you were talking about? Who is he?"

"Alex Rider still isn't here yet but I think we can sit. He was the boy the British used to discover my father's plot. He also shot and killed my youngest brother Julius in Cairo. I thought I would kill two birds with one stone by inviting you both here. You told me you didn't want to meet me alone which is understandable considering what happened. I don't really want to meet him alone either."

"Oh!" Alannah gasped. If she was shocked by this, then there was more to come.

"My original name is Napoleon Grief by the way. I don't know if they told you that or if you found that out…"

"I did, by looking through your file but thank you anyway."

It wasn't long before Dr Alex Rider arrived. Alex Rider was obviously no longer a boy but a fair-haired and bespectacled man who was reasonably fit for his age. At first Napoleon never wanted to meet him, this was the boy who was responsible for the deaths of his father and one of his brothers. On second thought, he realised that it had been so long ago that these events happened that it was far too late to start holding a grudge.

He was surprised at what eventually became of him. Napoleon had heard about his adventures with MI6 and assumed that he would suffer from PTSD for the rest of his life. No, Alex Rider ended up growing up with a family who immigrated to the United States and went on to study medicine. Dr Alexander John Rider was a well-known heart surgeon. He had established a completely new life for himself separated from the world of espionage.

Alex Rider recognised him at once. His face lit up with shock.

"Hello, are you Dr Rider?" Napoleon said, "You look shocked to see me."

"Yes. I would suppose that you would be shocked too if you saw an identical copy of a man that tried to dissect you for a science lesson right in front of you."

Napoleon didn't know whether to smile or to frown, but he ended up shrugging.

He then decided to tell them about Dr Grief, his plans, about him and the other clones and also about what kind of childhoods they had. As expected, Alannah was far more shocked than Alex was. There was a time when they all sat together in an awkward silence as the both of them took time to comprehend the full truth.

"So what happened to the other clones?" Alex asked, he seemed as curious as he was suspicious.

"Most of my brothers are dead, generally from natural causes relating to being a clone and others from violent attacks or suicide in the institutions they were in. There are two that still live in institutions, Adolf and Genghis. I only have one brother still alive that lives in the world, that's Mao and I haven't had much contact with him as we were never close."

"Oh," Alannah said, "If you don't mind me asking – how long do you have left to live?"

Napoleon shrugged, "I don't know. I've already outlived most of my brothers so I don't think I can complain."

Alex spoke again, "Have you told many people have you told your story? I presume you are bound by secrecy."

"Nobody, not even my ex-wife and I don't want to tell my daughters."

"You have kids?" asked Alex incredulously, "I find it hard to believe that someone your past could be a part of a normal family and even a part of normal society."

"I do." Napoleon continued in a drawling voice, he was a bit annoyed that this was starting to become more of an interview but he should have expected it, "I have three daughters – Isabel is thirteen, Josie is eleven and Ariana is nine. I have joint custody of them with my ex-wife. I have a normal life. Nothing else happened to me, I didn't try to take over the world. Contrary to my father's plans, I'm just a simple computer programmer."

Alex raised his eyebrows, "That's good to know. I'm happily married with a five year old son called Jack."

"The closest I have to children are my three Burmese cats - Luke, Leia and Vader." Alannah said with a laugh, "I don't want children considering the miserable childhood I had with my workaholic parents."

Both he and Alex smiled at this. It was understandable.

"Do you want me to order coffee? I can shout. Are you both just happy with cappuccinos?" Alex offered. He then left both Alannah and Napoleon alone.

"Alannah," he asked with a sigh, as he wanted to ask this question for a long time, "After all these years, did you miss your real brother in any way?"

"No," this reply was short and blunt, "He was a little tyrant. I was happy when he left. You were honestly a better brother in those two years than he was in seven. Besides, he left my life over three decades ago. I only ever think of him when something happens to make me wonder what he could have been if he wasn't a delinquent. I find it strange that I feel sad over who he could have been so much more than his death."

Napoleon nodded, he had some idea of what she was talking about. He always wondered who he would have been if he been sent to impose someone else and had never met her.

The three of them sat around and talked, it surprised him of how much they had to say about everything. He had to admit that something about Alex was starting to strike him as suspicious but he couldn't quite put a finger on it. It was a bad idea to meet with him to begin with. He was much gladder to finally meet Alannah again, he had been wondering how she was for so long. She had no idea that she was one of the first people that he truly and honestly really cared about.

* * *

><p>Just like every other time he came home, Napoleon opened the door to his apartment and placed his coat on the clothes hanger. He then turned on the light…<p>

"It really was good to see you, Napoleon."

He turned to see Dr Alex Rider holding a gun out towards him. There was a peculiar gleam in his glasses that Napoleon recognised quite well.

Napoleon only raised his eyebrows, "How did you get in?"

Alex chuckled, "I still remember what I presume you would have long since forgotten."

Napoleon frowned; Rider must have been storing this insanity within himself for some time, "Alex, put down the gun. You really don't want to do this. You'll lose everything you have."

Napoleon's eyes widened, "What on earth are you talking about?"

He only smiled back, "I really don't care. Everything I have is a lie and I'm getting quite bored with it all. I wouldn't mind losing my job, my position in society, my trophy wife and the son I don't have much time for if it means defending something that is a part of who I _really_ am. I want to defend his honour."

"Leo, please don't tell me that you have completely abandoned him. You have no sense of shame do you? 'I have a normal life. I'm just a simple computer programmer._' Jy is pateties!_ No wonder you were always Pa's least favourite… he could see right through you. My spoilt brat son has displayed more loyalty to me in his five years of life than you have over forty to our father! We were created with a purpose to accomplish! We are all that remains of him!"

Napoleon couldn't help but feel nauseous. It was the shock that Julius had been able to live in Alex Rider's place ever since Cairo that troubled him. It was almost impossible to believe that he had been able to fool so many people for so long.

"Julius, it's over." Napoleon shook his head, "Dad has been dead for over thirty years. _Dit is al klaar_."

He smirked back at him, "It can't be, I won't allow it."

Then there was silence. Napoleon stood transfixed, paralysed by the presence of a gun in Julius' hand. He remembered the night Julius shot and killed a woman who had trespassed on Point Blanc simply because their father had told him to. He felt the same way he did that night.

It only took a second for Julius to pull the trigger. Napoleon only felt the bullet like a hard punch to the head. There wasn't much time for him to experience much else, not much pain or the rush of blood that would spurt out of the wound and all over the room… There was not enough time before everything went black.


End file.
